


A World on Fire

by conceptstage



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 09:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16870714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptstage/pseuds/conceptstage
Summary: Someone Caleb loves is in danger from fire once again, but this time isn't going to end like the last. This time Caleb has Beau.





	A World on Fire

The fire was a familiar heat against his face as he stared at the building in front of him. The flames licked up the wood sides and smoke and embers danced into the night sky. His heart, as wounded as it was, pounded against his chest like it was trying to escape and his mind floated around in his head like a cloud. He was brought back to reality when someone fell, screaming for help, from the second story window. He took a step forward, towards the flame like a moth, but was stopped by a strong hand on his arm. 

“Caleb, no,” Beau said, stepping in front of him and blocking out enough of the light for him to look away. Her face was calm and serious. How could she be calm? How could she not be panicking right now?

“Nott is-”

“I know, but you can’t go in there. If you see what’s in there, you’ll go into one of your states and we’ll lose you too.”

“Beau, Nott is in there! Let me go, I have to save her!”

Beau did not let go, she held on tighter. “Caleb, I know that you’re scared. Okay,  _ I know _ , but you have to fucking trust me. If you go in there you are never coming out.” She shoved her wooden staff into his arms. “That’s why I’m going in.” She pulled his scarf from his around his neck and wrapped it around her mouth and nose.

Fjord stepped up next to Caleb and tried to grab her like she’d done to him, but she swatted his hand away. “Beau,” the half-orc said, worriedly.

“Hey, don’t give me those fucking sad eyes, they don’t work on me. I’ll be back before you can even start to worry about me.”

“I’m already worried!” Jester piped up from the back. “But I trust you.”

Beau started walking backwards towards the house and she caught Caleb’s eye. He nodded. “I trust you.”

She shrugged like it didn’t matter and turned away from them, stepping through the doorway and into a column of flame. He saw the shadow of her through the orange and yellow for half a second before that too faded away. Caleb’s eyes flicked between the windows and doors, looking for any sign of his two friends. As the seconds passed without hide or tail, he felt his throat start to grow tight and he grabbed onto Jester’s sleeves, squeezing it in his grip as she whispered reassurances in his ear.

“She’ll be fine,” the tiefling whispered. “They’ll both be fine, this is Beau we’re talking about, she once punched a Hydra, she’ll be fine.” It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself at the end, but Caleb appreciated it.

There was a thunderous clatter of wood and stone as the left side of the second floor collapsed into the first. The force hit the walls with enough strength to knock whatever was still holding them up away and they all watched as the building started leaning in, getting ready to fall inwards completely.

“No!” Jester exclaimed, rushing forward and being caught around the waist by Yasha. “Beau! Nott!” There was no water around, there was nothing she could do. Caduceus put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped wiggling but didn’t look away.

Caleb was running through every spell he had in his head, anything that might help, and he came up empty. Just as the walls appeared to be on their last legs, there was a crash and an explosion of glass as the window on the side of the building shattered against the weight of a monk’s body. Beau hit the ground hard with her knees pulled up to her chest, then she rolled to a stop on her stomach and they were all rushing over to her. Caleb got to her first as the building finally collapsed in. He knelt by her head. “Beau? Beau, are you alright?”

She pulled the scarf from around her face and coughed into the dirt. “Never better, actually, why do you ask?” Her voice croaked painfully as she spoke. She coughed again and the soot on her face smudged when her cheek rubbed against the grass.

“And Nott?”

Beau groaned but put her hand under her body enough to roll herself over onto her side, revealing Nott secure but unconscious and covered in cinders underneath her. “Alive.”

Jester swept in next, hugging around Beau’s head. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re alive, I don’t know what I’d do if you-” she sniffled and wiped away a tear, leaving a trail of soot across her blue face.

“I’m fine. Take care of Nott.” Jester nodded and lift the goblin up in her arms, carrying her away. Caleb watched them go and then turned back to Beau, helping her to sit up. She gave him a tired, raw smile. He couldn’t help it, he threw his arms around her neck and squeezed. She seemed surprised and didn’t hug back right away, but she reached up and pat his shoulder after a moment. “Caleb, man, having trouble breathing here.”

Caleb pulled away. “Oh, right. Sorry.” He took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder as Jester and Caduceus tended to Nott. “ _ Danke _ . Thank you, Beau.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t do it for you. She’s my family too. I take care of my family.”

“I know. Thank you anyway. Can you stand?”

She huffed and laid back on the cool winter grass. “Are you kidding? I’m never getting up again. I just jumped out a window.”

“It was only on the second floor, you’ve made bigger jumps before no problem.”

“Yeah, but the window was on fire and the floor was literally falling apart under me, that adds at least three coolness points and entitles me to breakfast in bed tomorrow.” She cleared her throat and spit black into the dirt.

“Two coolness points and a trost brought to you in bed tonight.”

“Are you negotiating how cool I am?”

“ _ Ja _ .”

She frowned and then raised three fingers. “Three coolness points and a trost in bed.”

“Deal.”


End file.
